Orthosomycins are a group of complex lipophilic oligosaccharide antibiotics that are active against gram positive bacteria including methicillin resistant Staphylococci and/or vancomycin resistant Enterococci. Lipophilic oligosaccharide antibiotics include, for example, eveminomicins, the flambamycins, the avilamycins and the curamycins which contain at least one acidic phenolic hydrogen, at least one orthoester linkage associated with carbohydrate residues and usually a nitrogen-containing group. In antibiotics which do possess a nitrogen-containing group or moiety, the most active form of the antibiotic tends to have the nitro (NO.sub.2) group. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an efficient process which would provide a lipophilic oligosaccharide antibiotic containing the nitro group or moiety.